Thai locals arrested over Rihanna Instagram photo

(CNN) Two men in Thailand are in
trouble with the law thanks to an Instagram
photo posted by pop star Rihanna during
her recent visit to the holiday island of
Phuket.
The singer was visiting Phuket for a few
days between stops on her Diamonds
World Tour, departing on Sunday for
Singapore.
During her visit she shared many of her
experiences on Twitter and Instagram ,
including a photo of her holding a loris --
an endangered primate native to Southeast
Asia.
The Instagram picture, believed to have
been taken at Phuket nightlife hotspot
Bangla Road, was captioned "Look who was
talkin dirty to me!" and "liked" by more
than 230,000 viewers.
The problem is, it's illegal for anyone to
charge tourists money to take photos with
the endangered primates -- an issue wildlife
groups have long been trying to stamp out
on the island.
Thai authorities react swiftly
Officials in Thailand quickly went on the
defensive when outrage over Rihanna's
loris image spread.
The government ordered the Ministry of
Natural Resources and local Phuket officials
to urgently investigate the matter, reported
local website Phuketnews.com .
Sunday night, a raid on suspected touts led
to the arrest of two men, aged 16 and 20,
who were taken to a local police station
and presented to the media.
"It is very difficult to do the raids because
the touts have spies," Awat Nithikul, leader
of the patrol officers, told The Phuket
News.
"If someone hears that the police are
coming their way, there will be a person
who calls the touts and tells them to move.
But this is a big deal because it might affect
Thailand's reputation."
The newspaper says the two arrested touts
are waiting to be bailed, and the two lorises
in their possession will be returned to a
national park in the nearby province of
Phang Nga.

Rihanna's X-rated experiences

It wasn't just the loris issue that stirred up
controversy.
Rihanna's tweets about her X-rated
experiences relating to some of the
country's more infamous tourist attractions
also led to red-faced explanations by
embarrassed officials.
According to the Bangkok Post , an English-
language daily newspaper, Rihanna's tweets
led to one official saying, "Sex shows were
completely against the law."
"The authorities and law officials have
surveyed the area to arrest and fine those
involved [in staging sex shows]," he said.
"But the shows still happen."
On the flip side, some of the photos posted
during Rihanna's holiday will likely be
appreciated by the local tourism industry --
including multiple shots of her in bathing
suits that show off the area's gorgeous
scenery given she does have more than
9.7 million Instagram followers.